Time and Tide
by thunderyoshi
Summary: 5 different teams. 5 different cities. 5 different threats. 1 objective. Ari's life has been anything but normal, and now she is finally hanging up her Morpher for good. As she prepares to start the next chapter of her life, Ari reflects on all that has happened since she first accepted a Morpher.
**So this is just a little oneshot to recap stuff so far, with a couple of extra bits that I never included before. So, I hope you like it!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Time and Tide  


"Stop squirming," Kira sighed as she sat in front of Ari.

"But it tickles," the 22 year old complained as she tried to stay still. Kira sighed, leaning back to take a break before she hit her friend. Ari opened her eyes, and smiled innocently at the Yellow Dino Thunder Power Ranger.

"You're incredibly annoying, has anyone ever told you that?" Kira asked her.

"Since day one," Zoe rapped her knuckles on Ari's head. The young woman, only three years older than Ari, frowned at her. Ari just pouted at her, looking hurt at her words. "Just sit still and let her do it," she instructed.

"But-"

"You're the one who asked her to do it, so just let her get on with it," Jenna was sitting nearby, not looking up from her magazine. Ari sighed, and nodded, knowing when she was beaten. She closed her eyes, and Kira started again. Zoe chuckled, taking a seat again to brush her hair.

"Who'd have thought we'd reach this day?" she wondered aloud.

"Not me," Kira smirked.

"Or me," Melody smiled as she looked around, in the middle of applying her eyeliner.

"I had my suspicions," Maddie, who was walking around with a camera in hand, smiled softly.

"I didn't," Ari muttered, making them all laugh.

"I still remember when I met you...just a little brat," Zoe grinned.

* * *

 _"So who is this Sun Ninja student you've been going on about, dad?" Zoe asked as she and Sensei Suguira asked as they walked through the grounds of the Celestial Ninja Academy. Her father had mentioned a young girl, who had been among the new students and one of the few Sun Ninjas who actually showed potential, as opposed to the arrogance that many Sun Ninjas possessed._

 _"Her name is Ariel Raynes," Sensei Suguira said as he smiled to his daughter. "She should be training with the other Sun Ninjas right now. She's a little on the shy side, which is why I believe..."_

 _"Believe that I'll be able to coax her out of her shell," Zoe finished with a nod. "Dad, you realise that she'll probably be even more uncomfortable around me? I'm a Moon Ninja, I've been training all my life, and I'm not that far off graduating. She'll probably be intimidated by me," Zoe reminded him._

 _"I believe you can work past that, Zoe," her father just continued on. "Just give it a try. You might even like this girl," he said with a smile. Zoe sighed, finding it to be a waste of her time. She wanted to continue her own training. Her parents had promised that when she finally graduated, she could finally do what she wanted; travel the world._

 _She was snapped from her thoughts by a cry, and a thud, and she and Sensei Suguira looked ahead, to find a young girl with short black hair facing against three much larger students. Zoe started forwards, but was stopped by her father, who shook his head. Zoe frowned, but watched, and her eyes grew large as the girl dodged their moves easily. She grabbed the wrist of one attacker, and flipped him so he crashed onto the mat with a thud, joining a forth Ninja. Before long, only the girl remained standing._

 _"Whoa..." Zoe breathed. "How long has she been here again?" she asked, looking up at her father. Of course, she already knew the answer, but needed to hear it from someone else._

 _"Three months," Sensei Suguira confirmed for her. Zoe breathed out in awe, and the two approached the girl, who finally noticed them. She went bright red, and bowed quickly. "Ariel, what have I told you about sparring with other students like that?" he asked with a smile._

 _"Defeating an enemy weaker than you isn't honourable," she replied, not looking up. "The only truly satisfying victory you can have is when your opponent is at equal or greater strength," she repeated what Zoe had heard more than enough times over the years. And from the sounds of it, Ariel had too. "And it's Ari," the girl corrected._

 _"Those were some impressive moves for a newbie," Zoe spoke up. "What happened here?" she asked._

 _"They believed I was getting too big for my boots, and wanted to show me my place," Ari told her, looking up at Zoe with bright green eyes and an almost innocent look. "So I showed them theirs," she finished. Zoe couldn't help but laugh, only to be nudged by her father._

 _"This is my daughter, Zoe. I thought she might be able to provide you with some insight on Moon Ninjas," Sensei Suguira told Ari. The dark haired girl glanced from their Sensei, to Zoe, and smiled brightly._

 _"Nice to meet you," she said, and Zoe stared at her._

 _"You're adorable," she said bluntly, and Ari's smile fell as her eyes widened in shock. She went bright red, and Sensei Suguira chuckled quietly._

 _"Wh-what? N-no, I'm not!" Ari insisted, waving her hands as Zoe grinned at her, already liking the young girl._

* * *

"Actually, you're still a brat," Zoe corrected herself with a chuckle. Ari stuck out her tongue, and Kira tapped her on the head.

"I saved your husband..." Ari muttered.

"And I'm eternally grateful. Most of the time," Zoe smirked back at her. "And I recall us saving your ass many more times, so you're still a brat," she told Ari, before turning her attention back to her hair.

"You know, sometimes it really only feels like yesterday that Sensei Suguira gave me the Gold Celestial Morpher," Ari mused, thinking back to a time that was now 7 years ago.

* * *

 _"Ariel, there you are," Ari tried not to grimace at the use of her full first name, and turned around to face her Sensei. He was an older man, with grey streaks running through his dark brown hair. He was a patient, kind man, with deep brown eyes that seemed aware of everything._

 _"Sensei? What is it?" Ari bowed respectfully, before following the man into the building as he indicated for her to do so. He led her up to his office, and shut the door after she walked inside. Ari had been inside the office many times, usually for a lecture on not pulling pranks on her fellow students._

 _"I have received word from Sensei Watanabe that the Wind Ninja Academy has been attacked," Ari's green eyes widened as she stared at her teacher. "Most of the students, except for three, have been captured, and neither of us have heard anything from Sensei Omino, or Sensei Minami. I fear the Thunder Ninja Academy and the Fire Ninja Academy have fallen," the Sensei, whose clothing bore a silver outline, turned to Ari._

 _"No offence Sensei, but why are you telling me this?" Ari asked curiously._

 _"Because you are my best student, Ariel, and I know that it is only a matter of time before the Celestial Ninja Academy is attacked as well," Ari stared at him, still not understanding. "I want you to have this," her Sensei held out a wooden box that had been on his desk for as long as Ari could remember. Slowly, the girl took it from him and opened it to reveal a large device that was black in colour, with gold and silver streaks running along it._

 _"What is this?" she looked up at the teacher, who smiled softly._

 _"It is your Celestial Morpher," he explained. "Long ago, an evil came to pass that took the schools uniting to defeat. Sensei Watanabe has passed on the three Wind Morphers to his remaining students. I am not sure of the two from the Thunder Ninja Academy, and unfortunately the Flame Morpher and the sister Morpher to your one were destroyed long ago. All you do to activate it, is say Celestial Storm, Ranger Form," Ari stood in stunned silence as the man explained this to her._

 _"But...why me?" she managed to say after a moment. "I'm only 15! Aren't there older ninjas who are better for the job?" Ari asked, sounding almost desperate as Sensei watched her, still smiling._

 _"No, there aren't. While you do occasionally show some discipline issues, you are also the best candidate," he told her, refusing to take back the box as she held it out to him. "You are honourable and kind, and that is what we need for a problem like this one. Age does not mean that you are automatically better, Ariel," he spoke as he pushed the box back to her, and Ari looked down uncertainly at it._

 _"Ok...if you're sure," she agreed, taking the morpher from the box._

* * *

"I know," Zoe nodded. "It sure doesn't feel like it's been 7 years since I got back from Europe," she mused, thinking back to when she'd received word from her father about the fall of the Ninja Academies, and travelled to Blue Bay Harbour, where the other Ninjas were located. "But at the same time, a lot has happened since then," she commented idly, and the others nodded in agreement.

"That's true," Ari agreed. "I mean, I never expected to graduate from the Wind Ninja Academy," she mused.

* * *

 _"Ari Raynes," Sensei Sugiura smiled proudly as the Sun Ninja tried to behave normally and collect her scroll, but was smiling widely as she did._

 _"And finally, Cam Watanabe," Sensei couldn't hide his own proud smile as his son walked up and bowed to him, collecting his scroll before joining the others. "You have all earned the badge of honour that is to graduate from the Wind Ninja Academy. I could not be more proud of you. Of the sacrifices you have made for your school, and indeed, for your planet," he told them with a smile. "The world is a better place today, because of you," he told them, and they cheered, hugging each other as Zoe couldn't resist joining them._

* * *

"It was unusual for two Thunder Ninjas and a Sun Ninja to graduate from the Wind Ninja Academy, but all the Sensei's agreed that it was fitting," Melody spoke up, smiling.

"What about going to Reefside High to finish high school?" Kira asked with a grin.

* * *

 _After getting lost twice, Ari finally found her classroom, a science lab, and knocked on the door before opening it. A young man with glasses and short black hair glanced over at her from the front of the room._

 _"Can I help you?" he asked pleasantly, and Ari smiled, walking in and handing him the paper she had shown the woman. "A new student?" the teacher frowned, and looked at her for a moment._

 _"Skipping two years," she shrugged, and he nodded._

 _"Ariel Raynes?" he spoke her name as if he recognised it._

* * *

"How about the fact you actually went to prom?" Maddie teased her.

"That's not that big a surprise!" Ari argued feebly, but even Rose and Jenna, who hadn't known her as long as the others, knew that this wasn't true. Ari was a tomboy through and through.

* * *

 _"Ari!" he called over and the black haired girl looked up quickly. "Wow, you look...amazing...I can't believe Kira got you in a dress! And make-up!" Ethan exclaimed, and Ari went red, slapping his arm._

 _"I thought you weren't coming tonight," she frowned at the ex-Blue Ranger, before noticing a pretty blonde girl beside him. "Oh...hi," she greeted awkwardly._

 _"Ari, this is Angela, my date," Ethan introduced her proudly. "We met in line for the movies," he told Ari, who covered her grin with her hand. "Angela, this is Ari, one of my friends I told you about," the geek told her with a grin._

 _"You're the skateboarder, right?" Angela asked as she smiled at Ari, who nodded. "That's cool, I always thought skateboarding looked fun, but way too painful for me," she admitted, and the Ninja laughed._

 _"Have you seen the others yet Ari? And better yet, who's your date, or did you and Kira come together in one of those packs that girls do when they don't have dates," Ethan grinned._

 _"My 'date' as you liked to call it, is getting punch. There he is," Ari grinned, and Ethan's eyes widened as Connor walked over and handed over a cup to the 16 year old._

* * *

"I still think it's funny that Connor was your date for prom," Kira added in as they all laughed at the idea. Even Ari chuckled at the memory. She wasn't planning on going to prom, even with Kira going, but then Connor had asked her, and she'd ended up accepting, not wanting to miss out on one final memory at school with them before she left Reefside.

"Me too," she voiced her agreement. "Though finding out that there was a gateway to a Magical Dimension was located in the forest in my hometown, that was definitely one of the weirdest things to ever happen," Ari told them.

* * *

 _"When the six of you entered the forest, you stepped into a magical dimension," Udonna told them softly._

 _"A parallel dimension outside of Briarwood," Chip looked to the others. "Do we live in a great city, or what?" he grinned widely._

 _"This means I've proved Cam wrong!" Ari suddenly cheered, making the others jump. "You seriously don't understand what a big deal it is to prove him wrong," she shrugged, going red._

 _"A few years ago," they spun around again as Udonna reappeared behind them. "There was a great battle in our world. Dark magic conquered our realm and was about to enter your dimension, when we finally defeated them and sent them back to the Underworld," she told them, before turning away. "But at a great cost..." she whispered. "The gate was sealed with a powerful spell. However, during the recent earthquake, a crack appeared in the gate, and evil has slipped through," she explained to them._

* * *

"Don't forget that you're actually from there as well," Maddie spoke up with a smile.

"How could I?" Ari sighed.

* * *

 _"That necklace..." Althea was in front of Ari in a second, lifting the golden griffin necklace that had fallen out from under her shirt. Althea then looked up at Ari, as if stunned. "Meraki?" she questioned, and Ari raised an eyebrow._

 _"What?" she asked, not understanding what Althea meant. The silver armour around the woman shattered, and revealed an older woman with waist-length brown hair, and bright green eyes behind a pair of glasses. She wore a silver and black tunic and flared black trousers._

 _"Whoa..." Chip was the only one able to slightly speak as they stared at the woman who bore a very strong resemblance to Ari. The Gold Ranger stared at the woman whose eyes were exactly like hers._

 _"Who...are you?" Ari asked in a small voice. Tears formed in Althea's eyes as she managed a small smile._

 _"Your mother," she spoke in a shaky laugh, and Ari tensed. For a moment, she didn't react, and then she yanked her necklace out of Althea's grip, turned, and ran off into the forest as quickly as she could._

* * *

 _"Daggeron!" as the Knight relaxed, he was almost knocked off his feet by Althea._

 _"Thea..." he hugged her tightly. "I missed you so much," he breathed, releasing her just enough to kiss her softly._

 _"Can I go home yet?" Ari whispered as she found herself gripping the back of Xander's shirt again._

 _"Not quite yet Ari," Althea pulled away and walked over to her. "Daggeron, this is-"_

 _"Our daughter, I know," Daggeron nodded as he stood beside her. Ari shifted uncomfortably, a clear sign that she was close to bolting. The others looked at him curiously, wondering just how he knew. "When you caught me in town, while the others ran around screaming," they stifled their laughter as they thought back to the anarchy that had erupted in Rock Porium. "I recognised your smile, and your eyes," Daggeron told her softly._

* * *

"You are pretty weird, Ari," Jenna smiled in amusement.

"Am not!" Ari tried to argue, but she knew her Master was right. "Not my fault..." she mumbled.

"It is when you threaten to turn Will into a sheep when you first meet him," Rose glanced around with an amused look. Ari went red at the snorts that followed.

"He was a jerk!" she argued.

* * *

 _"Mystic? Like the Power Rangers in Briarwood?" Ronny asked her curiously, having heard about them. "Wait, you were one of them?" she demanded, her mouth hanging open._

 _"Gold Mystic Ranger," Ari nodded, and hopped up onto the statue. "Oh, and the Gold Ninja Storm and Gold Dino Thunder as well. May as well tell you now. It doesn't stay hidden very long," she shrugged, looking over the grounds in front. Noticing their silence, she looked around and found them all staring at her. "Want me to prove it? I could always turn Will into a sheep," she grinned mischievously, jumping back down._

 _"Uh, I think we're good for now," Rose laughed, but her shock was clear in her voice. And the disbelief was evident in all their expressions._

 _"Too bad," Ari shrugged._

* * *

"Hey, my weirdness helped us find the Jewels of the Corona Aurora, remember?" Ari grumbled, going red at their teasing.

"I guess that helped," Rose shrugged, but was smiling playfully at the young woman who was once her team-mate.

* * *

 _Flurious cheered loudly as he placed the Jewels into the Corona Aurora and lifted it into the air. As he celebrated his presumed victory, a blast behind him took out multiple Chillers. Cheering as they flew through the air on their bikes, Ronny, Will and Ari blasted the Chillers around them with their lasers. Dax whooped as he did the same on his ATV. Mack, Rose and Tyzonn raced the jeep through the quarry as well, wiping out even more Chillers._

 _"Not so fast Frosty!" Mack yelled as they skidded to a stop and leapt out._

 _"Nice of you to show up to see the destruction. But I have some bad news. You won't be here to see it," Flurious told them firmly._

 _"Ready?"_

* * *

 _"Ready!"_

 _"OVERDRIVE, ACCELERATE!" they yelled as Flurious cast a huge wave of ice and snow, freezing the Rangers, as well as the entire city._

 _"Goodbye San Angeles! Welcome to the new Ice Age!" Flurious declared. Suddenly the ice around Ari shattered._

 _"You tried to freeze someone with the power of the sun within them?" she taunted, Morphed. Flurious let out an alarmed bark. "How stupid are you?" she mocked. Snapping her fingers, the ice around her team also shattered, and they finished Morphing. The Chillers around them shattered._

 _"Let's raise the stakes!" Flurious let out a laugh as he placed the Corona Aurora on his head. Power exploded from him, destroying the rest of the Chillers, and completely transforming him into even more of a monstrous creature._

* * *

"I really thought the Corona Aurora was just a fairy tale," Jenna admitted as she looked over to the genius.

"Me too," Rose smiled in amusement.

"You know what I find funny?" Zoe spoke up suddenly, and everyone looked over at her curiously. "That Ari went to be a Ninja rep for Pai Zhuq, and ends up becoming a Ranger again," she laughed.

* * *

 _"Sunglasses?" Lily raised an eyebrow._

 _"They're not just sunglasses," RJ told them._

 _"Please don't say they're Morphers," Ari whispered, closing her eyes._

 _"They're solar Morphers," Ari slapped a hand to her face. "You ever hear of the Power Rangers?" RJ asked, ready to burst with excitement._

 _"Yeah, who hasn't?" Casey grinned._

 _"Well guess what. You. Be. Them," he told them, and Ari sighed as the other threes' eyes widened in awe._

 _"No way!" Theo laughed in disbelief. "Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be a..." he trailed off when he noticed the looks he was getting. He then cleared his throat, blushing. "If that's what it takes," he said in a lower voice._

 _"The Power Rangers aren't part of the Order of the Claw-"_

 _"Makes a change," Ari muttered._

 _"But I figured you needed everything you could get to fight the Dai Shi," RJ smiled, not hearing her mutter. "So I knew this guy, who knew this other guy, who had an uncle, who had a connection-"_

 _"Andrew Hartford by any chance?" Ari asked, and RJ looked at her in surprise._

 _"Yeah, it was...how did you know?" he questioned curiously as the other three looked at the young woman._

* * *

"Not my fault Master Mao chose me to be a guardian!" Ari whined, going even redder.

"You could have said no. Dom did," Jenna reminded her with a smile.

"It's not in Ari's nature to turn down being a Ranger," Zoe shrugged. The others nodded in agreement, knowing that this was true.

* * *

 _"He's weakening! Hit him now!" Jarrod yelled to those below. Dai Shi roared as Zokado Power exploded from inside him._

 _"Only the four chosen protectors can destroy Dai Shi forever," Master Mao looked to the four Rangers still Morphed._

 _"It's up to us," Casey nodded. The four demorphed and pulled off their Morphers, before closing their eyes. "A Pai Zhuq Master doesn't ask. He knows," the Tiger Master whispered._

 _"There is a higher level of our Animal Spirits."_

 _"One that has never been reached before. By student, or Master."_

 _"It's time to push beyond the possible, to our highest potential," the four moved in sync, following their Animal Spirits as they called upon a power deep inside. They began to glow, feeling the power unlock, and yelled, throwing it out. It slammed into Dai Shi, who screamed as he was destroyed, releasing the stolen power belonging to the Masters. The four stumbled, before laughing._

 _"Incredible!" Casey grinned, and the four laughed, hugging each other tightly._

 _"We did it!" Ari cheered, before RJ and Dom ran over to hug them as well, all of them laughing._

* * *

"For good reason," Jenna smiled softly. "She could hardly deny who she really was, could she?" she pointed out.

* * *

 _"Enough!" he looked around just in time to block Ari's punch, but the force pushed him back several steps. "I have had enough of scumbags like you destroying families! Of ripping people apart!" Ari yelled as she stood in front of Minos. "You take the slightest ray of light, and crush it. And I won't let it happen anymore!" she screamed, and light exploded from her. Energy accompanied it, throwing everyone to the ground._

 _"What's happening?" Xander yelled as a powerful wind picked up. The light faded, and Ari stood in golden armour that was lined with silver. The helmet had wings down the sides, as did the boots, and on the chest plate, was her Mystic Symbol. "It's like...an Ancient Mystic Mode," Xander realised, seeing the similarities to Daggeron and Althea's armour._

 _"Daughter of Sun and Moon, son of Snow and Fire, the Light cuts through the Darkness, but it cannot shine without the Sun! I won't tolerate suffering anymore!" Dai Shi stumbled backwards, fear apparent in his eyes._

 _"No, you can't be...you can't be it!" he roared as his lion armour appeared._

 _"What's going on?" Cam asked as the group nearby got to their feet._

 _"What's happened is that she's finally awoken to her destiny," Master Swoop spoke. "To think it was Ari all along..." he murmured thoughtfully._

 _"What are you talking about?" Xander demanded._

 _"There's a legend," Jenna told him gently. "That the greatest warrior will awaken and protect everyone. The Legendary Golden Warrior," she breathed._

 _"Impossible!" Cam reacted at the name as well._

* * *

"Yeah...a lot has happened over the last few years," Ari accepted, before grinning. "It's been 7 years since Zoe and Hunter got together, after Shane tried his luck," she giggled. Zoe went red, her eyes widening as she remembered.

* * *

 _"Alright, I'm not good at this stuff, so here goes. When Shane kissed you earlier, I didn't like it," Hunter admitted, going red and not looking at Zoe. "I meant what I said to him. I do...like you," he was mumbling by the end._

 _"Ok, so what are you going to do about it?" he looked up sharply and found Zoe's expression serious._

 _"Wh...what?" not understanding her question, Hunter frowned at her. Zoe sighed, rolling her eyes and taking a step closer._

 _"You said that you like me. That you didn't like it when someone else kissed me. So, what are you going to do about that?" Zoe repeated, her expression not wavering despite the steady blush spreading across her face._

 _"What am I going to do?" Hunter repeated her words, and his resolve strengthened. He stepped closer, looking down at the Moon Ninja. "I'm going to do this," his words were quiet as he put his hand on the side of her face and pulled her into a soft kiss._

* * *

"To think we almost made it 8 years before bringing that up again," Zoe glared at her.

"Shane liked you?" Melody asked, sounding surprised.

"No," Zoe spoke quickly, shaking her head. "He was under a spell, like Cam and Blake were," she remembered, making Ari giggle again. "But we've come a long way since then," she said, changing the subject away from the awkward thought.

* * *

 _"What are you doing?" Zoe managed to ask, her voice still shaking. He opened the box, and held it out to her._

 _"I'm giving it to you now that we're out of that cave," Hunter grinned at her, and tears began to spill down Zoe's face again. "Marry me Zoe," more tears spilled down Zoe's face._

 _"Of course I will," seeing how exhausted he was, she took it from him, barely able to see it. "You're still a jerk for making me cry," she added, making him laugh. She put the ring on, and rubbed at her eyes furiously as she continued to cry._

 _"Hey, you're not supposed to do that..." he complained, and Zoe took his hand._

 _"I know...I know," she cried, and he smiled softly, drifting off again._

* * *

 _"I gotta get back to Zoe, she's going to rip me apart for being away this long," Hunter told Ari._

 _"Oh yeah, you said she was out of commission," Ari remembered why Hunter had come to help instead of Zoe. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, worried._

 _"Nothing's wrong, it's just..." Hunter couldn't hide his grin. "Well, she's not gonna be able to take her classes or fight for the next...9 months," he told her, and Ari's eyes widened._

 _"You mean..."_

 _"Yeah," Hunter laughed. "She's pregnant," he revealed, and with a delighted squeal, Ari threw her arms around him in a tight hug._

* * *

"Poor Annie is gonna be warped with you two as her parents," Ari smirked.

"Stop saying that," Zoe grumbled.

"It's kinda true," Kira agreed, earning a glare.

"Well what about you, Kira Ford-soon-to-be-Mercer?" Zoe challenged, and Kira just arched an eyebrow back at her. "Oh don't give me that look, I know how you were back when you first met everyone's favourite comic book artist," she pointed out.

* * *

 _Kira glanced up after a moment, and stopped what she was doing._

 _"Whoa...who is that?" the other two looked over to see a teenager walking in. He was looking around, looking a little lost as he spoke to someone, who shrugged._

 _"I dunno," Ethan shook his head, not recognising him. Ari glanced up, and grinned as she realised that Kira hadn't taken her eyes off him. "Hello? Anyone in there?" Ethan smirked, waving a hand in front of her face._

 _"Guess not," Ari grinned to Ethan, who smirked back._

 _"He's really...wow...isn't he?" Kira smiled, not reacting to the pair._

 _"Can I get you a glass of water? Maybe an oxygen mask?" Ethan laughed._

 _"Here," Ari offered Kira her apple juice with a giggle._

 _"Quiet, he's coming over here," Kira turned her head quickly and swatted Ari away. The Gold Ranger laughed, and went back to her work._

* * *

Kira glared at Ari, who still had her eyes closed.

"Why do I feel a sense of impending doom?" the younger woman muttered quietly. Jenna, Melody and Maddie just chuckled lightly, and Rose rolled her eyes. "Hey, in my defence, you didn't admit how you felt till he asked you out at prom," Ari shrugged, and yelped when she was jabbed in the side by Kira.

"I wouldn't talk, if I were you, brat," Kira hissed.

* * *

 _"I thought she'd never leave. Nick probably would have gotten here before you'd stopped flirting with her," Ari commented, turning the page as she finally managed to read more than just one sentence._

 _"What's the matter, jealous that I flirt with her?" Xander taunted, but stopped as he realised what he was saying._

 _"It irritates me," Ari answered, and her eyes widened as she processed her idle response. She looked up over her book to see the Green Ranger's stunned expression, and rolled off the seat. Shoving her book into her backpack, she tossed it over her shoulder. "I'm out of here, I'm sure you can handle the place until Nick gets here," she muttered, trying to stop her face from burning._

 _"Ari," Xander darted out from behind the counter as she made to escape the shop, catching her wrist. He pulled her back, and as she turned around, he leaned in and kissed her. Her mind going blank, Ari pushed up, returning the awkward and soft kiss. When they finally pulled away; their breathing the only thing that could be heard, the pair stared at each other for a moment, before Ari's eyes widened and her breathing hitched. "No don't-" recognising the look, Xander reached out to stop her, but Ari was faster. She turned and sprinted out of the shop, and as Xander reached the doorway he saw her ninja-streak off._

* * *

"We all know I'm a nightmare," Ari shrugged, but was blushing deeply at the memory. Kira finally leaned back, and sighed.

"Done," she announced, and Ari opened her eyes.

"My face feels weird," she complained, and yelped when Kira slapped the side of her head.

"Hey, be careful, you'll mess up her hair," Jenna warned her quickly.

"Just don't smudge your face," Kira warned, getting up to finish getting ready herself. Ari nodded, shifting awkwardly.

"You look beautiful," Melody smiled at her. Ari went bright red, and lowered her gaze.

"She's right, brat. You look like a grownup now," Zoe patted her shoulder. "Who'd have thought we'd actually reach this day?" she wondered aloud.

* * *

 _"I can't believe Dom's leaving already. Even I've given it a few days," Ari chuckled as she dried off her hands in the kitchen of Jungle Karma Pizza._

 _"Well, I suppose now his Ranger calling is over, he has to find a new destiny," Xander shrugged, leaning on the counter as he watched her."I suppose that's the same for all of us," Ari nodded, turning to him and hugging him. "But I suppose some of us are already prepared for that," she commented, thinking of her upcoming tour with Truth Trucks. She couldn't wait. It was a six month tour, then who knew what would come next._

 _"Yeah," Xander agreed, his voice soft. Ari looked up at him, raising an eyebrow._

 _"What's up?" she asked, instantly knowing something was up with him._

 _"Uh..." he hesitated, and Ari let go of him, growing worried._

 _"Xander?" he smiled and put a hand on her head, ruffling her hair._

 _"You know Ari, when we met, I was about to ask my parents if I could live with my grandparents back in Australia," Xander admitted, and she blinked up at him in surprise. He'd never told her that before. "Who knows if they'd actually have let me, but I was close to it until I met you. Because of you, I was able to stay and make friends and even become a Power Ranger," he said softly._

 _"It was always your destiny to become a Ranger," Ari shook her head, smiling back at him._

 _"It's still thanks to you," Xander argued. "Ari, you're my best friend, but I never expected to fall in love with you. And I know it's the same for you, even though I am remarkably handsome and amazing," Ari giggled, and rolled her eyes._

 _"Xander, I love you in spite of that," she teased him. "What's this all about?" she asked, curious as to why he'd suddenly brought it up._

 _"I've been thinking about this for a little while now. But I realised, I never want to lose you. When you wouldn't wake up, during your Trials, it really hit home how I could never lose you. I care about you too much," Xander continued. Ari's eyes were widening in surprise at his confession. Neither of them were big into talking about that side of things. They'd always just known it. "I know you're not big into grand gestures, but..." Ari's heart seemed to stop when he went down on one knee, and pulled a small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a beautiful silver ring, lined with emeralds and yellow topaz. "Will you marry me?" his words made her eyes go wide._

 _"Xander..." she breathed. "Are you really proposing to me in the middle of JKP's kitchen?" she was unable to stop herself from asking, a giggle slipping out._

 _"I've been wanting to ask you since before that final battle, I couldn't wait any longer. You gonna answer me?" Xander asked, raising an eyebrow. Ari laughed, and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him off his feet._

 _"Of course I will, you big dork," she laughed, and with a breath of relief, he kissed her, getting back to his feet and lifting her with him._

* * *

"Not me," Ari grinned at her. There was a knock at the door, and they looked around to see Althea peer in.

"Are you ready?" she asked with a smile. "Your fathers are getting antsy," she laughed. Ari swallowed, suddenly nervous as her stomach seemed to fill with butterflies. Zoe then clapped a hand on her shoulder, grinning at her. She looked at Ari, who wore a long white gown which had straps off the shoulder and went down to her feet and trailed out behind her.

"Come on then, _Golden Warrior_ , you've got a wedding to attend," she told her, and Ari glanced around as the others all stood as well, ready and smiling at her. Ari found herself smiling back at them.

"Well, I suppose I have faced scarier things," she smirked.

* * *

 **I hope you liked it!  
**

 **Please review!**


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